John Joseph "Joe" Beakley

Joe was known to all who knew him as a very special person, with an outgoing personality which welcomed his friends and relatives with a "larger than life" smile. Joe was born on November 3, 1948 to Mary Lawrence Figh Beakley and Howell Bowen Beakley in Dallas, Texas. Around the young age of 7, Joe was a victim of a massive heat stroke which rendered him forever at that mental age. From then on as he grew he would have seizures, either mild (2 to 5 seconds) to more severe, up to and including Grand Mal seizures. Joe grew to focus on time, always checking his watch to remember his seizure duration. Joe, with the help of his mother, attended a special needs school and earned his High School Diploma. With age, certain mental functions improved while others remained the same. Joe could remember names, addresses, and phone numbers of Church friends and family members. He also started writing more both by hand and by using an old manual typewriter. Joe was raised to be a very religious person, reading and studying the Bible. His great-great-grandmother was Nancy Jane Cochran who gave the land for what is now known as Cochran Chapel United Methodist Church and the adjoining family cemetery. With prompting and editing by his mother and cousins, Joe wrote a short book of devotionals for his family. Joe also wrote a couple of devotionals that were accepted and published in the Upper Room Magazine. When his mother passed, his health deteriorated and lead to his need for constant care in nursing home.

Joe is survived by several cousins.

Visitation will be held at 12:30 pm on Saturday, October 19, 2024 at Cochran Chapel United Methodist Church, followed by the funeral service at 1:00 PM with interment at Cochran Chapel Cemetery, next to the church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to Cochran Chapel United Methodist Church.